Hosiery



Dec.. 10, i935, E A, FEUSTEL 2,023,520

HOSIERY Filed Nov. 16, 1953 ,Q -1 ,af-2

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mmww@ +Mw@ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec.7 10, 1935 UNITED STATES HOSIERY Ernest A. Feustel, Carlstadt, N. J., assignor to Alfred Hofmann, Inc., West New York, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application November 16, 1933, Serial No. 698,236

. 11 Claims. (Cl. (i6-178) This invention relates to hosiery knitting, and involves a -novel hosiery knitting method and the product thereof or knitted article, typically represented as a stocking. It involves as well a means or mechanism for carrying out the method hereof to produce such product, the principles of which may be applied to any standard type or make of full-fashioned knitting machines, such as. the Schubert & Salzer, Reading,

Kalio, Ludwig, or Einsiedel machines, whereupon from eighteen to twenty-four stockings, or their leg or foot portions, are simultaneously knitted.

The main object of the present invention is to eliminate substantially completely, or render invisible, certain defects which have heretofore been encountered and which constituted a serious drawback in the manufacture of high quality' knitted hosiery, especially silk stockings of light Weight. This defect refers primarily to the, formation of so-called rings or bands extending transversely of the knitted blank, due to commonly occurring variations in the character or thickness of the silk yarn. A single length or skein of silk yarn is sufficient only for the knitting of a relatively small number of courses, so that on each cone are successive threads from a number of cocoons, besides which frequent changes of cones are necessary in the knitting of stockings, each change oi' yarn within the cone and each change of cone introducing the opportunity for a decided variation in shade or appearance, causing circumferential rings of substantial width and rendering the defective stockings unsaleable except as seconds. These variations can not practically be predetermined or detected during spinning, twisting or winding, ,and not easily even in knitting, so that the defect of rings or bands can only readily be noticed in the finished product or stocking. This defect of manufacture has heretofore been partly overcome by the system of operating simultaneously from three sources or cones of thread, and applying or laying the threads there- .from in rotation, with a change of thread after every course, so that diierences in character of the yarns ,on the several cones, or changes of character within eachl cone, are distributed and diffused, tending to some extent to overcome the effect of rings or bands and producing what is 5'0 known as ringless hosiery. This systemrhowever is found to be only a partial solution of the di'iculty, as it has been observed that when appreciable variations in character of thread occur these will make themselves apparent in the 55 complete fabric, not merely as rings or bands, but as regularl and close repetitions of the variation, causing what may be termed a ribbed or corduroy effect or the appearance of transverse corrugations in the fabric, which in accentuated 60 cases is highly objectionable and impairs the saleable value ofthe product. For example, differences in character or shade may appear with regularity at every third course, and so noticeable is this corduroy eiect in some cases that the industry has endeavored to obviate it byl confining 5 the manufacture of high grade stockings to the highest grades of silk, which are not only relatively expensive, but scarce, and moreover are generally not suiiiciently uniform in character to prevent a large percentage of objection in the 10 product. A stocking containing a single ring is just as much a second as one with several or many rings.

The particular object of the present invention therefore is practically to eliminate, or to render 15 substantially invisible, not merely the ringed or banded effect, but also the corrugated or corduroy eiect above referred to, namely by a novel method and means of embodying or disposing the yarns in the successive courses, resulting in a reli- 20 able product of practically uniform high quality. Owing to this improvement hosiery of the highest quality can be manufactured from silks classified as of relatively lower or medium grade, which are also of lower cost. By reason of this the 25 product is rendered less expensive of manufacture, and the medium vgrades of silk being far more abundant, the supply will be ampie, and manufacture not hampered by shortage, as with the higher grades. The present improvement is 30 especially valuable in knitting stockings by the single unit, system, wherein the foot is knitted continuously after the leg in thesame machine, so that a defective appearance is avoided at the point where the leg merges into the foot. 35

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a section of knitted hosiery illustrating the method and embodying the product of the present invention; it being understood that this diagram refers either 40 to the leg or foot of a stocking, or to a single unit stocking, and represents but a short portion of the length of va fabric blank, showing a convenient number of successive courses, diagrammatically shortened as to course length of fabric 45 width, but much exaggerated as to spacing of courses and variations of yarn. Fig. 2 is a diagram similar to Fig. 1 lof a different embodiment of the invention, while Fig. 3 is a similar diagram of a still further modication, using four instead of three threads.

The general n'ature of the present improvement may be indicated by stating it as a method of knitting the stocking or hosiery from at least three different cones of yarnlto blend these yarns and distribute existing differences in character thereof and thereby substantially prevent the formation both of the ring eiect and the ribbed or corduroy effect in the product; which method in v,one aspect consists in disposing and embodying in the fabric the-three or more yarns in successive cycles of a relatively large number of courses to each cycle, and in each such cycle of courses laying the three or more yarns in a methodically irregular order, comprising mixtures of single and double courses of each of the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout such cycle. 'Ihe term cone is used in the sense of any 'supply source, and reference to the several yarns or threads is in the sense of yarns or threads from the several supply cones. With three cones or yarns the cycle may comprise say 24 or 36 courses as shown in Figs. l and 2, although it may be reduced to 9 courses to less advantage, With four yarns the courses in each cycle may be from 16 in number to a much larger number. Preferably not more than four yarns are used, a larger number being inconsistent with the usual practice on standard machines.

Referring first to the method and product illustrated in the diagram Fig. 1, successive courses are shown in an extended group or cycle, in this case a cycle of 24 courses, numbered respectively from I to 4 in the order in which they are laid upon the bank of needles and incorporated in the fabric, each interlooping with the preceding course in the usual manner. The successive courses will naturally run parallel, but for/explanatory purposes have been shown at slight longitudinal inclines indicating the trend or progress of knitting, which is from course I at the top of the figure to course 24 at the bottom, fol'- lowing which the same or similar cycles may be repeated, throughout the length of the fabric, or

slected parts thereof.

Three thread guides will be understood, carrying respectively the three threads or yarns A, B, and C, the guides being mounted on reciprocating carriers or ,rods of conventional type, and the yarn supplies consisting of three cones from which the threads pass tothe guides, the latter reciprocating lengthwise of the machine, or transversely to the direction of knitting, these traversing movements of the thread guides operating to lay the respective threads upon the bank of needles, and the needles cooperating with other usual knitting instruments to form each course as laid into a series of loopsinterlocked with those a of the preceding course. Preferably each course is laid with opposite direction of traverse to the preceding course, as is usual. l

For convenience the traversing yarn guides will be referred to by the same letters A, B, and C as the yarns that they carry. As indicated in Fig. 1 the carriers A and C may be considered as initially disposed at the right and carrier B at the left. According to this invention, in order to dispose the several yarns (i. e. yarns from the several cones) in a methodically irregular order, for the purposes hereof, they are shown laid and incorporated in mixtures of single courses and double courses of each of the yarns, and as will now be described this is effected without substantial repetition of order or rotation of yarns from the first to the last course in the group or cycle illustrated. The differences in weight or appearance of the yarns are much exaggerated, for descriptive purposes, A being the heaviest and C the lightest; In practice two might be practically identical and the third slightly heav'ieror lighter.

As shown, the guide for yarn A reciprocates leftward and then rightward, forming courses I and 2, each being embodied in the fabric as formed, and the two constituting what will be termed a double course of yarn A. Guide C is aoaasao now brought into play to traverse the fabric from right to. left forming course 3 of yarn C. Guide B then traverses from left to right forming yarn B into course 4, and immediately returns to form course 5 of the same yarn, producing a double 5 course of yarn B. Guide C next traverses from left to right forming course 6 of yarn C. Guide A now traverses from right to left forming course 1, and then guide B traverses from left to right forming course 8. Thereupon yarn C by itsv guide 10 is laid from `right to left and then back from left to right forming a double course 9, IIJ of this yarn. This is followed similarly, alternately leftward and rightward, by a single course l l of yarn B, a double course I2, I3 of yarn a, a single course I4 of yarn B, a single course I5 of yarn C, a single course I6 of yarn A, a double course I 1, I 3 of yarn B, a single course I9 of yarn A, a vdouble course 20, 2| of yarn C, a single course 22 of yarn A, a single course 23 of yarn B, and a single 20 course 24 of yarn C.

At this point the yarn guides occupy their initial positions preceding coulse I, and the machine is therefore ready to continue by a repetition of the same cycle of 24 courses. During the 25 described cycle each thread is laid in two double courses, but in opposite manners, and each thread is laid in four single courses; the different courses of each thread being all well separated and the arrangement being without any repeated alter- 30 nation or rotation of order. The resulting fabric or blank is found to have a practically perfect uniformity of texture, the smoothness of which is not visibly disturbed by ring or corduroy effects. A typical stocking fabric may involve 54 35 single courses to the inch, more or less, so that each of the six double courses whichappear in each cycle is of too minute an extent to create noticeable effects, while these double courses are thoroughly intermingled and blended with single 40 courses of the several threads distributed in a manner which may bedescribed as in methodically irregular order and without periodic repetition.

The edges of the fabric are indicated by wavy 45 lines, and for convenience, exterior to the edges,

are diagrammatically shown the connecting strands of each yarn extending from each course to the next course of the same yarn; and this mode of illustration is-followed in Fig. 3 but not 50 in Fig. 4. The successive traverses of yarn are in alternate directions, as they should be, and in Fig. 4 arrows are applied to illustrate this. The order of laying the yarns in each case, while studied, is apparently haphazard, so eliminating 55 any tendency to a ribbed or patterned effect.

Fig. 2 shows` three yarns knitted into a cycle of 36 courses to be repeated as required. The order of laying differs from Fig. 1 but is on the same principle, and the numbers of the courses 60 and lettering of the yarns shows the arrangement. Between each two Adouble courses are four single courses. For example courses 2 and 3 are of B yarn, courses 8 and 9 are of A yarn,

and between them are two separated courses 4 65' and vl of C yarn, adjacent the double courses of B yarn and A yarn, and courses 5 and 6 of A and B yarn respectively, each separated by two courses from the nearest double course of the same yarn. The same system follows throughout 70 the cycle, but without any repetitionv of order, so that the distribution is haphazard in character or predesigned non-uniformity. As the cycle may occupy the greater part of an inch of the fabric length, the inevitable variations of yarn are widely disseminated and the next repetition of cycle can introduce no objection.

.A four thread fabric is the practical limit, as the guides and carriers in excess of four are usually for auxiliary purposes. Fig. 3 shows a four thread fabric laid and incorporated in a 16 course cycle of double and single courses, as follows: double A, single D and C, double B, single A and D, double C, single B and A, double D, and single C and B. Between each two double courses of different threads are two single courses of the other two threads. This cycle is a practical minimum with four yarns.

The particular order described is not essential Aand the cycle may be extended to advantage to include a greater number of courses. The four thread plan admits of many variations of order in cycles of greater than sixteen courses each, and in such cases a proper alternation of traverse may be preserved without the occasional appearance of double courses. -For example, alternately left to right DABCADC, then BDAB- CAD, then CBDABCA, then BCDBADC, then BADCADC, then BDABDAC, then DBCABCA, then DCBDABC, constituting a 56 course cycle, then repeat.

In any embodiment, it is preferred to predetermine the order of yarn laying by means of an attachment or mechanism causing selective operation of the carriers of the thread guides. Preferably a traveling controller such as a chain, or a jacquard is employed, upon which are control elements, such as cams -or buttons, that may be selectively set at will in predetermined positions so as to operate accordingly the connections by which the actuation is shifted from one carrier to another, for example, the transversely shiftable selector bar of H. B. Knox, application 685,169 led May 15, 1933 may be shifted form carrier to carrier by control elements set as required upona traveling control chain to' operate according to one of the extended cycles of courses of this invention. Or any other suitable yarn-changing pattern mechanism may be arranged for the purpose; and it may be endless to cause successive repetitions of the cycle.

Having described the principles of method and product of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a full-fashioned stocking or fabric blank therefor, constructed of at least three similar yarns of light weight of silk, distributed in the fabric in a manner substantially to prevent not only ring effects but corduroy effects, namely, distributed in successive cycles of atleast sixteen courses each, and the courses inl each such cycle comprising an arrangement of the three or more yarns in a methodical- 1y irregular order, with mixtures of single and double courses of each of the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle.

2. An article as in claim 1 and wherein are three similar silk yarns distributed in cycles each l of twenty four courses.

duroy effects, namely in successive cycles of at least sixteen courses each, and the courses in each such cycle comprising an arrangement of fouryarns in a methodically irregular order, with mixtures of single and double courses of each of 5 the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle.

5. A stocking as in claim 4 and wherein each cycle comprises sixteen courses.

6. A full-fashioned stocking or fabric therefor, composed of four similar yarns of light weight of silk, distributed in the fabric in successive cycles of at least sixteen courses each, and the courses in each such cycle comprising an arrangement of four yarns in a methodically irregular order without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle.

7. A stocking as in claimy6 and wherein the four yarns are in cycles of sixteen courses and in each course are in the order A, A, D, C, B, B, A, y

D, C, C, B, A, D, D, C, B.

8. As an article of manufacture, a full-fashioned knitted stocking or fabric blank therefor, constructed of at last three separate silk yarns of light weight of silk, distributed in the fabric in a manner substantially to prevent non-uniform appearance or ring effects in the fabric due to yarn irregularities, namely, distributed in successive cycles of at least sixteen courses each, and the courses in each such cycle consisting of an arrangement of the three or more yarns in a methodically irregular order, with mixtures of single and plural courses of each of the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle. 35

9. As an article of manufacture, a full-fashioned knitted stocking or fabric blank therefor, constructed of three separate silk yarns of light Weight of silk having differences, said yarns being distributed in the fabric in a manner substan- 40 tially to prevent non-uniform appearance or ring eifects in the fabric due to yarn differences, namely, distributed in successive cycles of at least six- `teen courses each, and the courses in each such cycle comprising an arrangement of three yarns 5 in a methodically irregular order, with mixtures of single and plural courses of each of the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle.

10. As an article of manufacture, a full-fashioned knitted stocking or fabric blank therefor, constructed of at least three separate silk yarns of light weight of silk having dierences, such yarns being distributed in the fabric in a manner substantially to prevent non-uniform appearance or ring effects in the fabric due to differences in the yarns, namely, distributed in successive cycles of at least sixteen courses each, and the courses in each such cycle comprising an arrangement of the three or more yarns in a methodically irregular order, with mixtures of different numbers of successive courses of each of the yarns, but without rotation or substantial repetition of order throughout the cycle.

11. A silk stocking in which three or more yarns having differences are knit in the fabric in a predetermined sequence in cycles of at least sixteen courses and wherein the several yarns are knit in each cycle in groups of courses of differing numbers of courses per group.

ERNEST A. FEUSTEL. 

